Taboo - Episode 8

	James: was rescued by an African who cured him, he did horrific things in Africa, plays for time by having a seizure, grieves, fights, kills, and escapes
	Zilpha: jumps from a bridge, sends a farewell letter/suicide note, floats under water, sings, speaks to James, promises he shall see her again

Overview:
James makes a deal with Sir Stuart Strange. The Company man has to give in, because James knows too much of his treason against the crown. James is released from the tower and gets a new ship. But then he learns devastating news, and Lorna only just manages to push James to finish what he'd started. After a bloody battle with the soldiers of the King who is fed up with the whole Nootka business, James and those of his allies who are still alive, sail away to Ponta Delgado in the Azores - with the powder. Stuart Strange is killed through a bomb sent by James.

First Scene:
Zilpha walks over the Blackfriars Bridge. She wears black clothes and no jewellery. She doesn't speak, but we hear her thoughts. "Dear James, at last, I have found a way out of the cage in which I have been living. Eyes I didn’t know I had were opened. I saw the limits of my life, the iron bars around my soul. At last, I found a way to slip between them. I intend to leave society, leave London, leave England behind, travel to a place where I will be free. It is a place where, someday, I hope we will meet, and be happy." She looks up to the sky. A cawing raven flies by. A single clock chime is heard as Zilpha steps onto the bridge's railing and then she falls from the bridge into the river. Zilpha's body breaks through the surface of the water and sinks down to the ground.

Second Scene:
Limping, James arrives at the Delaney home. He sees a letter from his sister Zilpha. He opens it at once. Zilpha's voice is heard while James is reading the letter. James looks surprised.
"I'm planning to journey to heaven, James."
James sits down in an armchair.
"I've realised the truth. My cage is my flesh. I can shed it."
CUT TO Zilpha sitting in her bedroom in front of the mirror, writing. "The River Thames will take me to God. Death is just the turning of a key in a lock. Whether God will accept me is another matter, perhaps my husband will have spoken of my betrayal."
CUT OT James bowing his head while reading. "Or perhaps my feelings for you, unforgivable feelings for you, will mean the Thames will take me to a different place." James takes his hat off. "Whatever my destination, if you survive your recklessness, please, keep some part of my soul inside your own." James puts the letter down and leans back in the chair.

Third Scene:
Lorna comes back to the Delaney house with the letter for the safe passage. She is excited, but then she realizes James is crying silently. She takes the letter from Zilpha off the table and reads it.
"If she were dead, I would know it," James says. He briefly puts his gloved index finger in his mouth. "I would hear her, and I would feel it... as if there were a door open in this very house."
"Oh, James," Lorna says, helpless.
"No. No." He puts his gloved index finger back into his mouth, sucking on it.
CUT TO Zilpha falling off the bridge.
"If she was in the river," James goes on, "she would sing to me."
CUT TO Zilpha's body plunging into the river, sinking down.
"And I would hear her," James insists.
"Her words are very certain," Lorna says.
"How did I not know?" James keeps up arguing, sucking at his finger.
"Because the dead don't sing."
James swallows and rethinks that. "If they don't sing, then how do I hear them?" He swallows, keeping the tears down, almost begging now.
"That is a question to be asked and answered in America." Lorna sits down in the second armchair. "Is it not?"
Silent, James rethinks that, while more tears are running down his face.
"Tide's rising," Lorna says calmly. "You've lots of people waiting for you, people who have given up everything for you, James. The tide ebbs, she'll still be gone. The tide won't bring her back."
James briefly closes his eyes in agony.
"You know we could just sit here in these rotting chairs in this shitty house and die, like rats, like your father."
James sheds one more tear, and groans, covering his face with a gloved hand. He looks and sounds like he is in a lot of pain.
"We ought to go to Nootka," Lorna says. "If anything... it's a fine day to die at sea."
James looks at her. He sighs. Finally he gets up. "I've some unfinished business to take care of. I'll be back. We board together." He hobbles away.
Lorna smiles, relieved.

Fourth Scene:
James goes to Dumbarton. He gives James laudanum with burdock to help him with the pain and the healing. James takes the laudanum orally. Dumbarton denies him the letter of safe passage (not aware that Lorna already has it). He blackmails James to transfer his title to Nootka to the BEIC. James had already figured that Dumbarton works for Sir Stuart Strange. James smashes Dumbarton's head into a table, then infuses the remains of laudanum into Dumbarton, and drowns the unconscious traitor in a bowl of blue colour. Afterwards he hangs Dumbarton's body from the ceiling.
He then has a strong vision of his sister Zilpha floating under water.
"James, you came back." She swims. "You told me you loved me."
"My sister," James whispers.
Zilpha and James float under water. Zilpha kisses James intimately on the lips, having both of her hands placed on his face. James has his hands on her body. He wears blue. She wears black. A string with black pearls is floating between them.
"James," Zilpha's voice whispers during the kiss. "You shall see me again."
Next he sees her lifeless body floating alone, and hears faint singing.
Slouching, he struggles up the stairs, apparently accepting that Zilpha is indeed dead.

Fifth Scene:
James checks up at his wounded allies recovering in the belly of the ship. He then enters the deck and changes his mind about their destination. He decides to sail to Ponta Delgado in the Azores first. He wants to talk to the man called Colonnade. He says they are Americans. The American flag is hoisted. The ship is called Good Hope.

Best Quotes:
James: "If she were dead, I would know it. I would hear her, and I would feel it... as if there were a door open in this very house. If she was in the river, she would sing to me. And I would hear her."

Zilpha: "Whatever my destination, if you survive your recklessness, please, keep some part of my soul inside your own."

Best Dialog:
Zilpha: "James, you came back. You told me you loved me."
James: "My sister."
Zilpha: "James. You shall see me again."

Innuendo:
At the ball, Dumbarton had implied to James: Say her husband gets drunk. No surprise. Falls from a bridge or something. Curious that not Thorne but Zilpha fell of a bridge in the end, isn't it?

James couldn't protect his mother, Winter, Zilpha, Helga, or Lorna (she was wounded) from harm. All females.

Lorna says she is James' mother, not his wife. Well, for the reason that James' relationships are not the usual kind that means nothing.

It's obvious James cares tremendously for Zilpha. She is the only that makes James cry. James is begging his mother Lorna to say it is not so, all is fine, he is fine, Zilpha is fine, this is just a bad dream. He denies Zilpha's passing, arguing he is able to feel it if she's dead. He's convinced to hear dead people sing and talk to him. He can't accept that Zilpha is dead.

The only reason why he gets up to finish what he'd started is the prospect to die at sea, drowning in water, where he hopes to find and see Zilpha again.

Zilpha always calls James by his given name never brother. James always calls Zilpha sister, never by her given name.
Does he do that to deny his unnatural feelings? Does she do that to avoid the truth of being related?

James and Zilpha never met at the same place twice. Coincidence?

Is the kiss in James' vision a good or bad sign? Life, love and hope versus death, haunting, destruction?
A kiss under water can be a sign for: Conciliation, Love, Happiness, security, union, restart, loss of control, not known pregnancy.
By the way, James wears not the ring on his left pinkie in the vision. Is that important or just a coincidence?

Well, did he truly see Zilpha or did he just imagine her being under the influence of laudanum?

I learnt that pretending to be dead is a Delaney thing. James did it. Robert did it. And now Zilpha?

Atticus said that the river will only take Winter's body not her soul. What about Zilpha? Will her soul return as well? Will she return and haunt James to get her revenge or will she rather soothe his pains?

James was caught up in grieving. He needed to overcome his grief but he chose what he wanted over what he needed = failure. He got his revenge, and sailed away, but paid with the loss of the one person that mattered the most to him. The outcome is that he continues grieving. He isn't dead, but he isn't happy either.

The dilemma is that James wanted to be with Zilpha but at the same time he wanted her as far away as possibly from him.

The Crew of the Damned:
Godfrey, still dressed like a woman, and Atticus' brother in law reach the harbour. He sits in a shed waiting for the ship to arrive. Escapes. Sails away with James. Takes care of the wounded Cholmondeley. Says Cholmondeley is forgiven for what he did to Maria.

Robert stands in front of the Tower. The bell chimes and he runs to the Delaney home to get the letters James had hidden in the safe box. Robert uses the key James had given him. He delivers the letters. One is for Brace. One is for Cholmondeley. One is for Atticus. One is for Lorna. Robert goes back to the Tower and sings. He signals James that it's done. Later Robert awaits James at the gates of the Tower receiving a last letter. Robert delivers it to Mr. Chichester. Prepares for the flight. Robert carries one suitcase with explosives. Escapes. Sails away with James.

Lorna goes out and waits in a coach with the little boy Temple. He was a witness to Winter's murder. She tells Helga that James didn't kill her child, the men of the BEI Company did. After that she returns to the Delaney house and reads James' letter. She goes out again to meet with the Countess Musgrove. She requires the letter for a safe passage from her, and the codes for the flags. The Countess has to give in or the Crown will learn of her treason with the Americans. Lorna brings the letter to James. Due to her words he overcomes his grief and moves to finish what he'd started. Shoots at the King's man. Escapes wounded. Sails away with James. Suffers due to her wound.

Cholmondeley sleeps off his hangover. In the room with him lies an unknown naked woman. He gets ready to prepare things that go bang for James. Finished he packs his things, burns what isn't needed anymore and leaves the house. He arrives at the harbour and hands a suitcase to Robert. Blows up the King's men. Escapes badly wounded. Sails away with James. Calls out to a woman named Maria. Says he is sorry for what he did to her. Says thank you after Godfrey says he is forgiven.

Atticus is busy gutting a rabbit when he receives James's later. He goes to the country. Masked and armed he holds up the coach with Pearl and Helga in it. He kills Stuart Strange's man on Stuart Strange's order. Atticus brings Pearl and Helga to a place where they change coaches. As the ship arrives at the harbour he shoots a gun off in the air to clear the streets. Prepares for the flight. Shoots the King's man. Escapes wounded. Sails away with James. Talks to James about their destination.

Bill helps Atticus in the holdup of the coach and Pearl's and Helga's rescue. He then is with Atticus at the harbour seeing the ship arrive. He helps him to clear the streets because they expect a fight is coming. Prepares for the flight. Shoots the second of Stranges's handyman - and murderer of Winter. Shoots the King's men. Escapes. Sails away with James.

Pearl is kept prisoner at a beautiful place on the country. She flirts with a soldier guarding her when one of Stuart Strange's men arrive. He puts her and Helga on a coach. Pearl and Helga are set free by Atticus. At the harbour she sees the ship arrive. Helps Lorna after she was wounded. Escapes. Sails away with James. Takes care of Lorna.

Questions & Thoughts:
What did happen in Africa? What unspeakable things is James guilty of?

Did James write a letter to Zilpha as well? Did the letter reach her in time? Did she change her plans reading that later? It's midday when James is released from the tower. It's implied that Zilpha jumps one hour after midday from the bridge.

Zilpha wears no jewellery walking on to the bridge. Did she sell it all? Or is it out of respect for God?

Did the ravens tell James what is happening or was it just the singing of Robert?

What Zilpha Geary says in her voiceover as she walks on the bridge, and what we hear as James comes to the house and finds her letter are both very different from what is actually written on the paper that James holds in his hands.

Dear James,

You will be reading this letter after hearing of my death. I would no longer live with the shame that has been forced upon me.
Although something inside of me rejoiced upon your return, I wish you had stayed away - our union is ungodly and is something I can no longer live with.
We were cursed from birth, I hope to take the curse with when I am gone. There is nothing left for me here on this earth. Perhaps we will meet again in the next.

Your Sister,
Zilpha

So, now we have three versions of Zilpha's last words. Why is that? Which are the true ones and which are a lie? Is Zilpha lying to make James suffer? Is Zilpha really dead or is she playing a game? Is the image of Zilpha falling into the river just in James' mind or is she falling for real?

The river brought the trunk that belonged to Horace back. Will the river also bring Zilpha back? What did really happen?

The Delaneys proved that they lie a lot. Zilpha received two diamonds from James. So she got money to make a life of her own. Zilpha lied before, she often did the opposite of what she wrote in her letters. She is not a reliable narrator.

Did Zilpha sing to James or was it just a vision in his head, because of the laudanum he took orally, which could have had that effect to give him strong hallucinations.

Either Zilpha did kill herself, or she just pretends to get back at James for breaking up with her, for hurting her deeply. I show you. You'll regret this.

It's possible the image of Zilpha jumping is just in James' head, the way he sees it, reading her letter. Not the way it really happened. Fact is she jumped after midday, at one o'clock, after James was released from the tower, and after he came home and read the letter.

Besides, a suicide isn't allowed to enter heaven. Says the church, not me. Wouldn't have Zilpha considered this?

The Countess Musgrove is called pixie by her friends. Why is that? Why do a friend say she has a faulty memory? What had she forgotten?

James always said he only takes the people with him he needs, not because he takes a liking to them? Is this still true? Or is it just a lie to hide feelings he doesn't allow himself to have for anyone? Why did he take Robert with him? How is he useful? Isn't it rather because he truly cares for Robert, the son of Zilpha?

Why did James leave Brace behind? Out of mercy or because he didn't want him to come along after he had learnt that Brace had killed his father?

Why does James change his mind and sail to Ponta Delgado in the Azores first? Why does he need to talk to Colonnade? What does he suspect? What is Colonnade hiding? What the Countess? Who is CARLSBAD really?

Conclusion: I want to know more about James and the relationship to his sister Zilpha, particularly their past, and how they had become the way they are. I pray that Zilpha is not dead. I hope to see more of those unhappy two human beings. I need to see them find some kind of happiness together some day.